Fake news has been named the word of the year by Collins Dictionary.
- The decision is taken due to its widespread use around the world.
- The term is popularised by U.S. President Donald Trump,
- The U.K.-based lexicographer found that the use of “fake news” registered a 365% rise in the last 12 months.
- Fake News is Defined as “false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting”,
- The word takes over from Brexit which was named the definitive word last year after the June 2016 referendum in favour of the U.K.’s exit from the EU.
“Fake news, either as a statement of fact or as an accusation, has been inescapable this year, contributing to the undermining of society’s trust in news reporting,” said Helen Newstead, Collins’ head of language content.
- Many other words related to politics and current affairs were also in its list of the words of the year.
- Echo chamber” and "Corbynmania" are two of them.
- “gender-fluid”, defined as “not identifying exclusively with one gender rather than another”
- “cuffing season”, defined as “the period of autumn and winter when single people are considered likely to seek settled relationships rather than engage in casual affairs”,
- fidget spinner, the toy that is being twirled by children across the UK.
- “Gig economy”, defined as “an economy in which there are few permanent employees and most jobs are assigned to temporary or freelance workers”
- The above-mentioned words were considered to the given the title of World of the Year 2017.
